Competing Structures in the Bilingual Mind: A Psycholinguistic Investigation of Optional Verb Number Agreement

237 Pages·2016·5.21 MB·English

by  Elif Bamyacı (auth.)

The Bilingual Mind and Brain Book Series 2
Elif Bamyacı
Competing
Structures in
the Bilingual
Mind
A Psycholinguistic Investigation of
Optional Verb Number Agreement
The Bilingual Mind and Brain Book Series
Volume 2
Series editors
Roberto R. Heredia
Anna B. Cieślicka
Praise for Competing Structures in the Bilingual Mind
Jaklin Kornfilt This is an important study of syntax-semantics and
syntax-pragmatics interfaces that looks at an interesting and understudied
phenomenon in Turkish morphosyntax, namely the apparently optional person
and number agreement marking on predicates, agreeing with third person plural
subjects. Bamyacı carefully teases apart the various factors playing a role, by
proposinganaccountwhichdividesuptheobserveddifferencesbetweenadefault,
non-agreeingformandacontextuallyconstrainedovertform.Animacy,asemantic
notion, and topicality, a pragmatic notion, are shown to be at the heart of the
relevant constraints. This in-depth, original study is certain to inform future
investigations of interface phenomena.
AyşeGürelBamyacı’sworkmakesauniqueandsignificantcontributiontostudies
in Turkish linguistics while also providing a new perspective to bilingualism
research on interface structures.
LeahRobertsInthisbook,ElifBamyacıpresentsacomprehensivesetofstudieson
bilinguals’ processing of phenomena at the (semantics-morphosyntax/pragmatics-
morphosyntax) interfaces. She investigates critical questions in SLA such as why
processing at the interfaces should be more problematic for bilinguals than
narrowsyntax,andbringsnovelinsightsviatheexaminationofphenomenathatare
infactgradient(optionalverbmarkinginTurkish).Thisbookisahighlyimportant
addition to our knowledge of cross-linguistic influences in L2 acquisition and
bilingual processing, and is a must for students, researchers and theorists of both
fields.
Mike Sharwood Smith The research reported in this study deserves particular
praise not just for exploring a new area of Turkish and its effects on
Turkish-German bilingualism but especially because, at the end, the author goes
beyond standard,low-levelconclusions:inconsequenceofthis,sheendsupwitha
theoretically richeraccount ofwhytheresultsturnedoutasthey didbysettingher
findings within a broader explanatory framework.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13841
ı
Elif Bamyac
Competing Structures
in the Bilingual Mind
A Psycholinguistic Investigation
of Optional Verb Number Agreement
123
Elif Bamyacı
University of Konstanz
Konstanz
Germany
Thesisdefended atUniversity of KonstanzonFebruary 6,2015Referees:
Prof. Barış Kabak,University of Konstanz andUniversity of Würzburg, Germany
Prof. Artemis Alexiadou, Humboldt University, Germany
Prof. CarstenEulitz, University of Konstanz,Germany
TheBilingual Mind andBrainBook Series
ISBN978-3-319-22990-4 ISBN978-3-319-22991-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-22991-1
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015954579
SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon
©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2016
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(www.springer.com)
To Hans Michael
The Bilingual Mind and Brain Series
WetakegreatjoyandhonorinpresentingTheBilingualMindandBrainSeriesto
students,teachersofbilingualism,andthescientificcommunity.Thisbookseriesis
intended to advance and contribute to our understanding of the bilingual/multilin-
gual mind and brain, both as an academic discipline and as a maturing research
field. The Bilingual Mind and Brain Series is interdisciplinary in its scope and
examines the bilingual mind/brain from such perspectives as psycholinguistics,
cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and cognitive neuroscience, as well as
applied linguistics and pedagogical approaches to second/foreign language
learning.
The Bilingual Mind and Brain Series seeks to publish cutting-edge and
provocativecollectivevolumesandmonographsabouthowthebilingualmindand
brain process, learn, and store information, and it is intended for the growing
number of bilingual researchers and practitioners interested in understanding the
behavioral aspects and neurobiology of bilingualism, as well as the dynamic
character of the bilingual/multilingual/second language learner’s mind. Its purpose
is to provide updates of the most current work in the behavioral and neuropsy-
chological research in the fields of bilingualism/multilingualism and second
language acquisition. The books in the Bilingual Mind and Brain Series are
intended to contribute to the development and establishment of the Bilingual
Cognitive Psychology and Bilingual Cognitive Neuroscience disciplines as sub-
fieldsofCognitivePsychologyandCognitiveNeuroscience,aswellastocontribute
to our understanding of the bilingual mind and brain, and ultimately, the human
brain.
Roberto R. Heredia
Anna B. Cieślicka
vii
Acknowledgments
My Ph.D. journey, which has fortunately led to the production of this book, was a
longoneandtherearemanypeopletowhomIwouldliketoexpressmygratitude.
I dived into psycholinguistic research when working with Prof. Roeleien
Bastiaanse, who had been a great inspiration to me. I am grateful to her for her
enablingmetohavethisinvaluableexperienceandforhelpingmebuildconfidence
in doing psycholinguistic research. The success I have achieved and the joy I felt
during this research has sown the seeds for many other studies I have done sub-
sequently.IwouldalsoliketothankProf.LoraineOblerforherencouragementand
guidance;herattention,care,andthemotivationbroughtclaritytomythoughtsand
encouraged me to proceed.
I would like to thank Prof. Carsten Eulitz for opening the doors of his EEG lab
andsharinghisknowledgeandexpertisewithme.IwouldliketothankProf.Frans
Plankforinvitingmetodohismorphologycoursetutorials.Itwasexcitingtofulfill
thistaskduringwhichIgainedmyveryfirstteachingexperience.MyPh.D.journey
has continued with the invaluable experience of teaching linguistics courses at the
University of Würzburg, which was made possible by Prof. Barış Kabak. I would
liketothankhimforbringingthisexperienceintomylife,forsupportingmystudy,
and for his insightful comments on my work.
I would like to thank my colleague Dr. Jana Häussler for so generously sup-
porting me from the very beginning to the very end of this journey. She provided
her suggestions on experimental design, data analysis, and statistics and also on
practical issues. She was thoughtful and encouraging enough to refer me to this
book series where my book now appears.
I very much appreciate the consideration, careful work and friendliness of the
Springer editors and the editorial team.
IwouldliketothankProf.Alexiadouforreviewingmyworkandtakingpartin
my Ph.D. committee. Her interest in my work and her positivity has been
encouraging and motivating me since I first met her to discuss my findings. I am
morethangratefultoherforherinterestinmywork.ThemotivationIhavegained
ix
x Acknowledgments
by her insightful comments has filled me with the strength that has enabled me to
take the final and most difficult step in concluding my Ph.D. study.
I would like to thank all my friends and colleagues in Turkey who have sup-
ported my study by participating in my experiments and helping me to recruit
others.Their genuinesupport always warms my heart and encouragesme tomove
forward. I would also like to thank the students at the University of Würzburg for
being so collaborative and for accepting my invitations to participate in my
experiments. Their interest in my study and their compliments have been a great
motivation.
I would like to thank Prof. Klaus von Heusinger for enabling me to pursue my
research career as a post-doctoral researcher. He is a great mentor and I am very
much looking forward to the exciting research we will be carrying out over the
coming years. I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Petra Schumacher for
her kindness, rapport, and friendliness, which is very special. I recently had the
opportunity to meet Prof. Jaklin Kornfilt personally who was so kind to show
interest in my work and to praise it. Her kind support means a lot to me. Her
insightful comments have certainly guided me on what steps to take next.
Finally, I would like to thank my sister, my mother, and my father, who were
verypatientandreadytosupportmeineverypossiblewayduringthegoodandbad
times I encountered on this long journey. They were so understanding about my
longabsencesandmyveryshortandrarevisitshome.Iwouldalsoliketothankto
my colleagues Dr. Michael Spangoland Dr. Brian Leahy for being a family to me
with the generous love and support they provided throughout my study.
I am lost for words to express my gratitude to Hans Michael. He has proved to
bealoving,caring,thoughtfulpartner,handlingalltheupsanddownsIhavebeen
through during my long Ph.D. journey. He has always believed in me, understood
what I have been going through, and managed to provide me with all the help I
could possibly need and all a partner could possibly provide.
I am sorry for not mentioning many others who were there for me on various
occasions; what I can do is thank my Ph.D. journey for providing me with the
opportunity to meet so many wonderful people!
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Theoretical and Empirical Accounts of the “Modular Mind”. . . . . . 9
2.1 Historical Background of the Modular Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1.1 The Modular Mind: Many Modules Linked
by Interface Mechanisms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1.2 The Language Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.1.3 Parallel Architecture Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.2 Overview of Linguistic Interface Research: Evidence
from Child and Agrammatic Speech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.1 Differentiating Narrow-Syntax and Interface-Syntax . . . . 21
2.2.2 Non-target-like Interface-Syntax in Children . . . . . . . . . 27
3 Linguistic Interfaces in Bilingualism Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.1 Interface-Syntax in the Grammar of Bilingual Children. . . . . . . . 31
3.1.1 Overlapping Structures at the Interface-Syntax. . . . . . . . 32
3.1.2 CLI at Later Stages of Bilingual Acquisition. . . . . . . . . 35
3.1.3 Language Dominance Effects on the Direction
of CLI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.1.4 Role of Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.2 Interface-Syntax in the Grammar of L1 Attriters . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.3 Interface-Syntax in the Grammar of Near-Native L2 Learners . . . 45
3.3.1 Interface Hypothesis, Version 1: Distinguishing
Narrow-Syntax and Interface-Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.3.2 Interface Hypothesis, Version 2: Differentiating
the Internal and External Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.3.3 Putting Different Strands of IH Research Together. . . . . 52
xi